Food Recipes from around the world
Warm Your Soul with Easy Nihari: A Hearty Pakistani Beef Stew
Category: Main Dish - (946)
Origin: Pakistan
Source: Izzah
Here's an Easy Nihari (Pakistani Beef Stew) recipe that requires 1 pot and less than 30 minutes of initial prep time. This recipe gives stovetop & slow cooker instructions and promises tender beef shank (or stew) meat. Servinghs: 4
Ingredients:
Whole Spices
- 1/2 piece of a small star anise
- 1-2 small bay leaves
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
Ground Spices
- 2-3 whole cloves, ground into a powder using a mortar and pestle
- 2-3 green cardamom pods, seeds ground into a powder using a mortar and pestle
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground into a powder using a mortar and pestle
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red chilli powder or cayenne
- 1/4 tsp crushed red chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 tbsp Homemade Nihari Masala (recipe in post), or sub 1/2 tbsp
Nihari
- 1/3 cup canola or other neutral oil
- 1 tbsp ghee, or butter
- 1 large (250-270 g) onion, thinly sliced
- 5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3/4 inch piece ginger, crushed
- 1 1/4 tsp salt (sea salt or table salt), start with 1 1/2 tsp if using homemade masala
- 1/4 cup (35 g) durum atta flour, (Or sub dry roasted brown rice flour or sorghum flour for GF)
- 9 cups water for stovetop, 3 1/2 cups for slow cooker
- 1 lb (454 g) boneless beef shank meat, 2-inch cubed, or sub beef stew meat, 1 1/2 inch cubed
Garnishings
- 1 tsp garam masala
- crispy fried onions
- 1 inch piece ginger, julienned
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 green chili peppers, chopped
- 1/2 piece of a small star anise
- 1-2 small bay leaves
- 1 inch piece cinnamon stick
Ground Spices
- 2-3 whole cloves, ground into a powder using a mortar and pestle
- 2-3 green cardamom pods, seeds ground into a powder using a mortar and pestle
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground into a powder using a mortar and pestle
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1/4-1/2 tsp red chilli powder or cayenne
- 1/4 tsp crushed red chilli flakes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper powder
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- pinch nutmeg
- 1 tbsp Homemade Nihari Masala (recipe in post), or sub 1/2 tbsp
Nihari
- 1/3 cup canola or other neutral oil
- 1 tbsp ghee, or butter
- 1 large (250-270 g) onion, thinly sliced
- 5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 3/4 inch piece ginger, crushed
- 1 1/4 tsp salt (sea salt or table salt), start with 1 1/2 tsp if using homemade masala
- 1/4 cup (35 g) durum atta flour, (Or sub dry roasted brown rice flour or sorghum flour for GF)
- 9 cups water for stovetop, 3 1/2 cups for slow cooker
- 1 lb (454 g) boneless beef shank meat, 2-inch cubed, or sub beef stew meat, 1 1/2 inch cubed
Garnishings
- 1 tsp garam masala
- crispy fried onions
- 1 inch piece ginger, julienned
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1-2 green chili peppers, chopped
Preparation:
Stovetop
- Heat oil and ghee in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the whole spices and onion, and sauté until the onion turns golden, about 10 minutes.
- Brown onions with whole spices in a Dutch oven
- If needed, deglaze with 2 tbsp of water. Once the water dries up, add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add beef and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until it changes color.
- Beef Shanks seared with browned onions in a Dutch Oven
- Lower the heat and add the powdered spices and salt and sauté for about 20 seconds. Immediately pour in the water and stir to mix.
- Ground spices added to beef shanks
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil (cover with lid to make it boil quicker). Then lower the heat to low/low-medium so that the nihari is gently simmering.
- Cover and allow to cook for 6 hours for beef shank meat (or ~4 hours for stew meat). Turn off the heat. - The meat should be tender enough that it breaks easily when pressed with a wooden spoon. Remove the whole spices, if desired.
- Water added in preparation to cook Nihari
- Take out a cup of the liquid of the Nihari onto a bowl or measuring cup. Let it cool a little by adding an ice cube to it.
- Place the atta in another small bowl. Bit by bit, whisk the Nihari liquid into the atta to form a smooth slurry (small clumps are okay).
- Slowly stir this slurry back in to the Nihari pot to prevent clumps. If the mixture is too thick, add (preferably boiling) water to reach desired consistency.
- Atta flour slurry to be added to Nihari
- Raise the heat to high to bring to a simmer. Then lower the heat to low/low medium.
- Cover and allow the nihari to simmer for another 30-45 minutes. The consistency should be like a thick soup.
- Serve hot with the garnishing and naan or sheermal.
- Finish Nihari in a Dutch Oven
Slow Cooker
- Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat. Heat oil and ghee and add the whole spices. Add onion and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.
- If needed, deglaze with 2 tbsp of water. Once the water dries up, add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for 30 seconds. Add beef and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until it changes color.
- Lower the heat and add the powdered spices and salt and sauté for about 20 seconds.
- Carefully pour this beef mixture into your Crockpot or slow cooker.
- Add the water and stir to mix. Cook on low for 8 (for stew) to 10 hours (for shanks) or high for 6-7 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. Cooking times will vary depending on your meat and slow cooker.
- Toward the end of your cooking time, remove your whole spices and take out a cup of the liquid of the Nihari into a bowl. Let it cool a little by adding an ice cube to it.
- Place the atta attain another bowl. Bit by bit, add the Nihari liquid to the atta to form a smooth slurry. Slowly add this slurry back into the crockpot while stirring to prevent clumps.
- Let it cook for another 30-45 minutes. Serve hot with the garnishing and naan or sheermal.
NOTES
To double the recipe, double everything but the water. A rough estimate: If using a slow cooker, use 2 cups per pound of beef instead of 3 or 3 1/2. If making it over the stovetop, use 6 cups instead of 9 cups per pound.
- Heat oil and ghee in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat. Add the whole spices and onion, and sauté until the onion turns golden, about 10 minutes.
- Brown onions with whole spices in a Dutch oven
- If needed, deglaze with 2 tbsp of water. Once the water dries up, add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add beef and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until it changes color.
- Beef Shanks seared with browned onions in a Dutch Oven
- Lower the heat and add the powdered spices and salt and sauté for about 20 seconds. Immediately pour in the water and stir to mix.
- Ground spices added to beef shanks
- Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil (cover with lid to make it boil quicker). Then lower the heat to low/low-medium so that the nihari is gently simmering.
- Cover and allow to cook for 6 hours for beef shank meat (or ~4 hours for stew meat). Turn off the heat. - The meat should be tender enough that it breaks easily when pressed with a wooden spoon. Remove the whole spices, if desired.
- Water added in preparation to cook Nihari
- Take out a cup of the liquid of the Nihari onto a bowl or measuring cup. Let it cool a little by adding an ice cube to it.
- Place the atta in another small bowl. Bit by bit, whisk the Nihari liquid into the atta to form a smooth slurry (small clumps are okay).
- Slowly stir this slurry back in to the Nihari pot to prevent clumps. If the mixture is too thick, add (preferably boiling) water to reach desired consistency.
- Atta flour slurry to be added to Nihari
- Raise the heat to high to bring to a simmer. Then lower the heat to low/low medium.
- Cover and allow the nihari to simmer for another 30-45 minutes. The consistency should be like a thick soup.
- Serve hot with the garnishing and naan or sheermal.
- Finish Nihari in a Dutch Oven
Slow Cooker
- Heat a medium pot over medium-high heat. Heat oil and ghee and add the whole spices. Add onion and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes.
- If needed, deglaze with 2 tbsp of water. Once the water dries up, add the garlic and ginger and continue to sauté for 30 seconds. Add beef and sauté for about 5 minutes, or until it changes color.
- Lower the heat and add the powdered spices and salt and sauté for about 20 seconds.
- Carefully pour this beef mixture into your Crockpot or slow cooker.
- Add the water and stir to mix. Cook on low for 8 (for stew) to 10 hours (for shanks) or high for 6-7 hours, or until the beef is fall-apart tender. Cooking times will vary depending on your meat and slow cooker.
- Toward the end of your cooking time, remove your whole spices and take out a cup of the liquid of the Nihari into a bowl. Let it cool a little by adding an ice cube to it.
- Place the atta attain another bowl. Bit by bit, add the Nihari liquid to the atta to form a smooth slurry. Slowly add this slurry back into the crockpot while stirring to prevent clumps.
- Let it cook for another 30-45 minutes. Serve hot with the garnishing and naan or sheermal.
NOTES
To double the recipe, double everything but the water. A rough estimate: If using a slow cooker, use 2 cups per pound of beef instead of 3 or 3 1/2. If making it over the stovetop, use 6 cups instead of 9 cups per pound.
Nutrition Values:
calories: 437kcal, carbohydrates: 18g, protein: 28g, fat: 29g, saturated fat: 6g, cholesterol: 80mg, sodium: 857mg, potassium: 542mg, fiber: 2g, sugar: 2g, vitamin a: 231IU, vitamin c
